Pierre Bastien (Paris, 1953), artist with capital letters, John Cage's follower, is a passionate fan of the universe of Jules Verne's creations. With a doctorate on 18th century French literature from the Sorbonne University, he wrote his thesis about the pre-surrealist Raymond Roussel. The literary influence in his work extends to Dadaism, Alfred Jarry or Raymond Queneau.
Artistically Bastien starts from a simple, but poetic idea: to combine traditional instruments and mechanical machines of his own invention. Something that has characterised him since he was only a child. The first instrument created by Bastien dates from when he was only ten years old: a two-string guitar constructed with the elements of the toy "Le Petit Physicien". When he was 15 he elaborates his first machine made up from a metronome flanked on the right by a cymbal and on the left by a small pulley.
Since then and during twenty years Bastien has constructed his own orchestra (Mecanium), formed by clever musical machinery constructed from meccano pieces and percussion instruments (drumsticks, bows, etc) that using temporisers and small electric motors they make musical instruments (percussion, string and wind) sound in a repetitive manner, as a loop ad infinitum. Hybrid sculptures, presented as sonorous installations that interpret series of small hypnotic musical compositions. Over this musical support, Bastien incorporates melodies with traditional instruments such as the trumpet or ethnic as the harp-lute dousso'n gouni from Mali, the rubab mandolin from Uzbekistan or the angklung from Indonesia.
But aside from being an unusual inventor, Pierre Bastien is a musician and a composer of enormous talent that has written music for string quartets or ballets. Aside from his solo works, he has always worked with great artists such as Dominique Bagouet (ballet), Pascal Comelade, Jac Berrocal, Jaki Liebezeit (Can), Robert Wyatt, Pierrick Sorin or Issey Miyake.
In the nineties, while the mechanic orchestra continued to grow until reaching the number of 80 elements, the Bastien+Mecanium tandem participated in music festivals and art exhibitions in Norway (World Music Days, 1990), Australia (Tisea, 1992), Japan (Artec, 1995), Canada (Fimav, 1995; Sound Symposium, 1998), Poland (Warsaw Autumn, 1995), USA (Flea Festival, 1996), etc.
Among his many works, records as brilliant as "Mecanium" (1988), "Musiques Machinales" (1993), "Musiques Paralloïdres" (Lowlands, 1998), "Mecanoid" (Rephlex, 2001) and the more recent "Sé Verla al Revés" (G3G, 2005), "Téléconcerts" (Signature, 2005) and "POP" (Rephlex, 2005) need to be highlighted.
Finally, it's necessary to mention the unforgettable performance that Pierre Bastien offered us at Experimentaclub'02, turning without a doubt into one of the best moments of the festival: surprising, unique and magical...

www.pierrebastien.com

• Mecanium (LP, ADN, 1988)
• Musiques Machinales (CD, SMI, 1993)
• Mécanisme de l'Arcane 17 (Single, G3G, 1994)
• Boîte N°3 (MiniCD, Cactus, 1996)
• Eggs Air Sister Steel (CD, In Polysons IPS, 1996)
• Musiques Paralloïdres (CD, Lowlands, 1998)
• Nine Optical Toys (CDRom, 2000)
• Morceau en Forme de Pinces et Tous Outils Suivants (CD, Cactus, 2000)
• Petite Musique Suivie de son Satellite (Book-Record "Laboratorio", El Europeo, 2001)
• Mecanoid (CD, Rephlex, 2001)
• Sé Verla al Revés (CD, G3G, 2005)
• Téléconcerts (CD, Signature, 2005)
• POP (CD, Rephlex, 2005)

with Nu Creative Methods:

• Nu Jungle Dances (LP, DAV, 1977)
• Le Marchand de Calicot (LP, DAV, 1981)
• Superstitions (cassette, ADN, 1984)

with Comelade, Berrocal et Liebezeit:

• Oblique Sessions (CD, DSA, 1997)

" 'Musiques paralloïdres' is a masterful parody of sampling technology, a real eye-opener for aficionados of streamlined digital interfaces." (Rahma Khazam - THE WIRE)

"Aujourd'hui ('Musiques paralloïdres'), Bastien reconduit l'expérience en ajoutant à son arsenal une légion de pick-up aux bras contraints, d'éclopés d'un autre âge mâchouillant le même bout craquant de vieux vinyle, le même mégot de mélodie. Sur ces hoquets mécaniques, sur ces sourts-circuits où semble tourner et zigzaguer le petit vélo de la mémoire, Bastien, avec un sens inné du placement, dépose quelques tendresses improvisées au cornet, et peut-être aussi à la contrebasse, au trombone. Dans son cadre rythmique et sonore volontairement restreint, il aime à laisser régner les lois flottantes du hasard, combine une sorte mathématique poétique qui aurait trouvé matière à équations dans les pages de Queneau, Roussel, Satie ou Cage." (Richard Robert - LES INROCKUPTIBLES)

"... a mecanium performance is a complex, emotionally charged affair. This fragile, home-made orchestra executes elaborate and strangely moving symphonies, while the miniature pulleys and levers cast giant shadows on the wall behind them, and Bastien himself sits amid his mechanised instruments accompanying them on trombone, violin or musical saw." (Rahma Khazam - THE WIRE)

Divination (excerpt)

Revelation (excerpt)